Hakuna Matata/Afrika Review PS3

I was never fond of games such as Pokemon Snap where a player just takes pictures of in game characters, it just didn’t appeal to my gaming needs. I had heard about Hakuna Matata/Afrika a while back on a few websites and it was hailed as a marvel of gaming on the PS3 for its visuals. I saw a few videos and images, and read user reviews that convinced me that I had to try it. Unfortunately, it is only released in Asia at the moment and comes with English dialogue, but a non-English manual. Fortunately, the game is very easy to navigate without the manual and I actually had fun playing.

Graphic and sound:

The graphics in Hakuna Matata/Afrika were amazing in 2006 when it was first showcased, but now they look just tolerable. From a distance, the herds of zebras, giraffes and the like, look amazing and move realistically. They react to the presence of the player character just as in real life. The problem in the graphics is visible when one looks at the ground and the textures look a bit blurry. The animals look excellent, but the land looks awful up close. Luckily the game is about the animals and not the ground, so I easily became immersed in the game. There are some clipping issues as when a cheetah I was photographing hunting a gazelle, the horn of the gazelle was clipping through the cheetah’s head. Also, the invisible borders become a minor nuisance as well.

The sound effects are straight from National Geographic. I felt as if I were in a real African savannah trying to photograph these majestic beasts in their natural environment. If you have surround sound, please do yourself a favor and enable it for this game. It will make the game that much more pleasurable. I played it on both a two channel and 5.1 surround sound setup, and honestly the two-channel setup is a disservice to one’s ears.

Gameplay and controls:

The game has several game modes; Safari, Geo Afrika, and Online. The game is very easy to play without the manual. All the menus are in English and dialogue is also in English. Safari mode is the story mode of the game where the player begins as a wildlife photographer and as the game progresses; one is able to purchase better camera equipment and other items useful for progression and obtaining special photo shoots. Safari mode is the main focus of the game. As the player completes certain photo missions, new areas are opened up, new animals introduced, and new types of photo shoots are available. For example, early in the game I was photographing a giraffe at a watering hole and shortly after a mission to photograph a cheetah hunting was available to me. One cannot die in the game, but if a player approaches a hostile animal, the animal will attack, the screen will go dark and any images taken since the last checkpoint will be lost.

The second mode of the game is Geo Afrika, where a player can view recently discovered animals, view National Geographic images and videos, or view sites already opened up to the player through several cameras at different time periods of the day. I believe for players who are interested in wildlife, but abhor reading, the Geo Afrika mode allows them to learn about these creatures in a fun way.

The last mode is the online portion, which allows players to upload and view photos taken from their gameplay to an online gallery. The online gallery hosts images from players from around the world.  There are also image contests where players upload their best photos according to the criteria of the contest and are able to win prizes such as a PSP.

Overall thoughts:

Overall, I believe the game is a solid step forward in educational games that not only teach players about the world around them, but also does it successfully without boring players. I have always loved watching National Geographic when I was child and this is the closest I can get to a safari without having to pay an enormous amount of money. I will keep this game in my library for my niece to play when she gets older. I think players young and old can enjoy this game, and the online contests add value. I look forward to trying out Aquanaut’s Holiday next.